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Start Off the Year Right, and Write!

January 8, 2015

It is helpful and fun to get a simple book with a positive concept to help start off the year right. Over the holiday, I wrote a note to our management team recommending the following two books. They have helped me kick off the year in a new way!

I recently finished this New York Times Bestseller and believe it should be required reading for all leaders and mangers. The basic premise of the book is that we are either dipping from other peoples’ buckets or filling them. We are also either having our bucket filled or dipped from by others. It sounds simple but Tom and his grandfather, Donald, have based their findings on decades of research. They provide very powerful insights into the best ratio of filling to dipping (5 to 1) and many other practical applications for teams, managers and relationships of all types.

As managers and leaders, our effectiveness is linked to our ability to convey our thoughts and concepts. Zinsser wrote this book in the 1970s to help people communicate plainly and simply. It has helped me with basic writing skills including “voice,” which I had always struggled to understand. The book has helped me become a better writer and communicator. Whether you’re writing a paragraph in an email, publishing release notes, editing content for a website or sending a note to your friends, I’m sure Zinsser’s book will help you. We’re all in the business of communicating every day.

I hope you find these recommendations helpful. Here’s to making 2015 your best year ever!